In 1947, a rosary crusade liberated Austria from the Soviets

Summary:

At the start of the Cold War, the USSR occupied the federal state of Niederösterreich, including the central Austrian capital Vienna. It was against this backdrop that, on February 2, 1946, the Capuchin priest and military nurse Petrus Pavlicek went to the famous Mariazell shrine to implore the Virgin Mary to free his people from the Communist yoke. As he prayed, he heard an inner voice tell him: "Do everything I tell you and you will have peace." He felt that victory would be won by praying the rosary.

A year later, Father Pavlicek began traveling the country without a penny to his name, preaching missions in which he organized local prayer groups inspired by the messages of Our Lady of Fatima (prayer, penance, conversion) and the spirituality of Saint Therese of Lisieux (the rosary obtains everything from God, who does not abandon those who pray to him), under the name of Rosenkranz-Sühnekreuzzug, meaning "Holy Rosary Crusade of Reparation". The movement's official goal was the conversion of sinners and world peace; its unofficial goal was more specifically the end of the Communist yoke. The movement prayed the rosary continuously, multiplied masses, Benedictions of the Blessed Sacrament and confessions, and broadcast its monthly celebrations on the radio. Within a few years, it had gathered 700,000 members in Austria and spread to neighboring Germany and Switzerland.

The more fervent the movement became, the more Stalin clung to Austria. But on March 24, 1955, the Soviets summoned Julius Raab, the Austrian Federal Chancellor, to Moscow for talks. Before leaving, Raab, who was also a member of the Holy Rosary Crusade of reparation, asked members of the movement to pray even more intensely. After a few days of exchanges, the Soviet Union announced the withdrawal of its troops within three months, for no apparent reason, and signed the treaty restoring Austria's independence in Vienna on May 15, 1955. Leopold Figl - the Foreign Minister and also a member of the prayer movement - signed the document and added the words: "With gratitude to the Almighty, we affix our signature and, with joy, proclaim: Austria is free!"

In thanksgiving, Father Pavlicek immediately organized a torchlight procession through the capital, featuring the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which was attended by a million people. Chancellor Julius Raab concluded his address: "All of us [...] are aware of the power of prayer. With a heart full of faith, we want to address a joyful prayer to Heaven: we are free thanks to You, thank you Mary."

The last Soviet soldier left Austria on October 26, 1955. From that date onwards, Austria remained neutral for the duration of the Cold War (outside the Warsaw Pact, NATO and the European Economic Community). This was the only time in history that the Communist superpower decided to formally disengage from a territory under its control, and Austria was the only state to be peacefully liberated from an occupying force, between 1955 and 1989.

This historical episode invites us to change our perspective and shift our hope from earth to heaven, as Father Pavlicek used to say: "Peace is a gift from God, not the work of politicians. And God's gifts are obtained through prayer."

Beyond reasons to believe:

• The Rosary consists in meditating on the key events of Christ's life, while entrusting one's intentions to his Mother by reciting Hail Marys over the beads of the rosary. This prayer spread throughout the world thanks to Dominic de Guzmán, the Spanish saint who founded the Order of Friars Preachers in the 13th century. 
• Since then, Catholics have been praying the rosary to obtain heaven's help, especially in times of trial. Many historic victories are attributed to this Marian devotion, such as the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at Lepanto in October 1571, the defeat of the Turks at Belgrade in August 1717, or the stopping of the German army at Barcy (north-central France) in September 1914.
• Even more recently, Our Lady reiterated her request, through the children of Fatima and Medjugorje, to pray the rosary to bring about her reign of peace.

Going further:

Grzegorz Górny et Janusz Rosikon, Fatima Mysteries: Mary’s Message to the Modern Age, Ignatius Press, 2017.

More information:

• Article: https://stannes-church.com/en/news-events/news/austrian-miracle-1955-63635
• Site Internet « La Luce di Maria » : https://www.lalucedimaria.it/la-crociata-riparatrice-del-santo-rosario-libera-laustria-dai-comunisti/.
• Mariazell National Shrine and Basilica of the Nativity of Mary (Austria) website: https://www.basilika-mariazell.at/site/en/home
• Austrian State Treaty, 1955 : https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/lw/107185.htm